09 DECEMBER 2016

Martinez And Frampton Weigh In

Carl Frampton has warned Kiko Martinez that he is in for a hot reception when they clash for the European super bantamweight title at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast tomorrow night (February 9).

The duo clashed at a fiery press conference yesterday and had to be separated at today’s weigh-in, as the Belfast fight fans crammed into the Europa Hotel penthouse suite roared their unbeaten hero to the scales before giving the Spaniard a hot reception.

Frampton scaled 8st 9 ½lbs with Martinez just under that at 8st 9lbs, and as Martinez stepped off the scales, his cut-throat gesture to The Jackal sparked a ruckus on the stage and whipped the crowd up more. With only a handful of tickets still available for the fight, Frampton’s big night will be in front of a sold-out Arena, and he says he’ll use that to his advantage.

“When Kiko walks to the ring the boos will be ringing in his ears,” said Frampton, a 1-5 favourite with Betfair to win – Martinez at 100-30 to inflict a first defeat on Frampton. “I know I am going to get a brilliant reception in front of the biggest hometown crowd I’ve boxed in front of yet so that’s going to lift me so much.

“He mouthed off at the press conference and did that at the weigh-in today. I think he’s under a lot of pressure and he’s worried about it. I’m incredibly relaxed and I know that we have the right game-plan to take that title from him.”

Martinez and Frampton clash on a massive night of boxing in Belfast, with Martin Lindsay challenging Lee Selby for the British and Commonwealth super featherweight titles and Andy Lee facing Dublin’s Anthony Fitzgerald in a ten-round middleweight clash on a top class undercard.

Super flyweight prospect Jamie Conlan faces Mike Robinson in a British and Commonwealth title eliminator while former Prizefighter champions Eamonn O’Kane and Martin Rogan, former European middleweight champion Grzegorz Proksa, former Team GB star Callum Smith and unbeaten Belfast trio Marco McCullough, James Fryers and Daniel McShane also feature.